Caves of Qud Review

Brave New World(s)

HIGH An exhaustive amount of cool systems and stories to tell.

LOW Dude, I’m still confused about everything.

WTF Take your pick — evil baboons, pet bears or my tanking in-game reputation.   

I am a newcomer to the roguelike/lite genres, but I’ve been enjoying a lot of games within these two categories over the last few weeks. The idea of mastering gameplay systems, building my character to withstand any enemy, and that familiar feeling of ‘just one more run’ is so special, and I’m still looking for more titles that deliver on this.

Caves of Qud is one that piqued my interest. Developed by Freehold Games, this is a roguelike role-player that was initially released in 2015 on PC via Early Access, with a full release in 2024. It’s now available on Nintendo Switch.

Played from a top-down perspective, players navigate large, grid-based worlds, complete story quests, managing their health and discover secrets in a science-fantasy based version of a post-post apocalyptic earth. 

Pulling from old-school pen-and-paper RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons and classic dungeon-crawlers like Rogue, Caves of Qud is presented in a decidedly old-school way with simplistic graphics reminiscent of older PC titles. There’s little in the way of animation as characters move across individual tiles, with all story and information delivered via text and a HUD menu that accesses actions and resources. 

There’s a lot to dig into here. A small tutorial teaches players the basics of movement and combat, which is a little weird on a controller. Players move by clicking the trigger and pointing in the direction mimicking mouse inputs. It takes some getting used to, but it forced me to slow down a bit, as it’s tough to speed through dungeons or combat encounters and the turn-based battles do a lot to slow the pace of the action.

There are a variety of options and modes to choose from, ranging from a “classic” mode in which player characters are perma-wiped following a death, to modes that focus less on combat and netting players experience via exploration. Throughout my playtime, I went with the former to get the purest experience possible. Players can use prebuilt archetypes or build a character from scratch using classes that have specific attributes (and even some handicaps). I picked the Gunslinger class thanks to its ranged attack bonuses and built accordingly.

Running through Classic mode, I was met with various challenges, from wild baboons attacking me to a bizarre reputation system that can affect how the world sees players. The latter is the most fascinating aspect of CoQ as I remember distinctly talking to a seemingly-random NPC, only to have the game tell me my reputation was tanked because that character was an outcast of sorts. Guilt by association, apparently?

If this review reads like an unfocused rambling of a crazy person, then that might be the perfect description of what playing CoQ feels like, as I was constantly being thrown information, new elements and new tutorials. I have yet to survive a run and I still don’t quite know where the story (or stories) are leading me to. I’m completely infatuated and curious about these gameplay systems (I’m still combing through the wiki as we speak) and trying my damnedest to keep track of how everything is interconnected, and how what affects what.

The real star of the show (outside of the complex mechanics) is arguably the world that’s built around them. Taking clear inspiration from classic sci-fi/fantasy works by authors such as Frank Herbert or Gene Wolfe, there is a definite style here that I am in love with. There’s a clash between “old” technologies and magic, and players can be anything from astronauts to cowboys, wield psychic abilities, and even discover alien artifacts. It’s a bizarre mishmash of genres that I appreciate, with lore providing a lot to chew on.

Caves of Qud can be a frustrating and downright hostile experience at times. It’s clearly built for those who have a fondness for older PC-style RPGs and those who enjoy diving deep into several different systems running at once, and for me the overwhelming nature of things adds to the charm. Caves of Qud is one of the most unique adventures currently out there — it’s just not one that will resonate with anyone looking for something laid back or relaxing. 

Score: 8 out of 10

Buy Caves of Qud – PC – NS

Disclosures: This game is developed by Freehold Games and published by Kitfox Games It is currently available on Switch and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Switch. Approximately 8 hours were spent in the single-player modes and the game was not completed. There is no multiplayer.

Parents: According to the ESRB this game is rated E10 for Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood and Use of Alcohol. A lot of the violence here is barely visible, as none of the action is animated thanks to the pixel-like nature of the visuals. References to death and dying are plenty. The game’s complex narrative and some heavy themes might be better for older teens.

Colorblind Modes: There are coloblind modes available. 

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Every visual element and text box can be adjusted. (See text examples above and below.) Audio is not needed to enjoy this game. The experience is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes the controls are remappable.

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